Aurelia Claudia Exima
The "Shining" Empress of Summus Aurelia Claudia Exima is the beloved Empress of the Summus, and the last in line of the Imperial dynasty. Chosen by The Light to succeed her grandfather 8 years ago, she has proven herself as a greatly competent ruler in the eyes of the masses, despite her youth. She is an energetic person that seems to glow with life and all those around her find themselves unconsciously trying to follow her example. This specific quality is the reason for her being known as "The Shining Empress" Abilities and Skills Aurelia wanted for nothing in her early childhood, due to the untimely deaths of her parents and the being inspired by her grandfather (the previous Emperor) she took her education very seriously and applied herself rigorously to all manner of studies and practice in order to become worthy of inheriting her grandfather's ideals. She is second to none when it comes to inspiring the people to follow a cause, and her skills at diplomacy and political maneuvering have been integral to maintaining the prosperity of Summus in these turbulent times. She subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) leads the pace of the conversation to suit her needs. Aurelia bears the Mark of the Emperor, 'granted by The Light to those it has designated worthy to lead men and she has trained herself to be worthy of it. Physically she does not lag behind active Heros and holds several records in Summus' triennial Athletics Festival. If she makes use of the Mark and gives her full effort it is assumed that she would stand on equal footing with a higher Middle Ranking Demons (though, being the Empress, it has not yet occurred that she needed to personally fight outside of some recreational sporting events and private practice with the Imperial Swordsmanship Instructor). However, she is almost comically atrocious at anything related to math and arithmetic to the extent that it boggled the minds of her tutors (Many of them outright giving up on her in that regard). A fact that is kept in-house as much as possible as to preserve the dignity of the Imperial court. Much more widespread is the fact that the Empress is a great fan of a fan the arts (which the Empress is a great patron of) and philosophy. She prides herself on her "diva-like singing voice" and wishes she could make use of it more often. Her retainers on the other hand, do not have the heart to tell her that her voice is closer to "some kind of cruel weapon" and try their best to keep her from singing whenever possible. Appearance and Personality Aurelia is a surprisingly short individual (standing shorter then the average height in the country by a wide margin) in contrast to her larger-than-life image. She prefers to keep her long golden hair braided in a bun so it does not get in the way when she is going about her duties and she possesses large emerald eyes that seem to draw in anyone looking at her. She is a very beautiful and alluring young woman (and is the subject of many an art piece in Byzantinople). As for her personality, she is a bright (if not positively beaming) individual. Everything she does, she does with a kind of energy, confidence and pride that makes all around follow instinctively. She makes it a point to give out praise whenever she is in a position to do so and absolutely loves it when she receives honest praise herself. Some in the court and the Senate dislike this kind of flamboyant behavior (saying that it goes against the Virtue of Humility) but there are far more that find her honesty endearing. The common population of Summus being her greatest and most vocal supporters, considering the Empress "Their Pride". ''"What is wrong with exclaiming my love? Look out the window and behold! This beautiful nation and its glorious people! All within this land are family! My kin! I do not think I will ever be able to fully express just how much I love this nation and all within it!" But she is not one without weakness our doubt. The burdens she bares are great and not a day goes by where she wonders if she had made the right choice in becoming the Empress, all those years ago. She does not let anyone see this side of her however, convincing herself that to speak such doubts is something unbecoming of the kind of person she strives to be, a proper Empress. She finds strength in the ideals she was taught by her grandfather, the former Emperor '''Aurelious Gaius '''and in the faith the people of Summus have put in her. The Imperial Line of Summus There have been many Emperors and Empresses since the founding of Summus but there has not been a point in time where that Imperial line was in quite as much peril as modern times. Falling in battle against Dungeon Keepers, assassinations, illness, even accidents and simple ill fortune. It is not strange for those in high places in Zyreema to face strife but the bloodline of the First Emperor Constantine, despite their renown, has born the brunt of countless tribulations. This eventually reached a breaking point in the last generation. When '''Augustus, son of the previous Emperor Aurelious Gaius', '''died in an accident' alongside his wife he left his daughter and the current Emperor as the sole remaining descendants of the Imperial line. The fact was that The Light had not bestown the Mark of the Emperor in Aurelious' generation, leaving his father with a very long reign. Speculation and rumors spread throughout the country and some believed that Aurelious might end up being the last Emperor of Summus (or at least the last Emperor of the line on Constantine The First). Some half a decade after he lost his son the Emperor fell ill and, after two years, passed away - leaving the country with no ruler. This was a hard period for the young Claudia, as the young child was caught up in a veritable political maelstrom. After she lost her parents her grandfather stepped up to take her in against the advice of the Senate, which wanted for the Imperial Princess to come under the care of one of the well respected noble families. But Emperor Gaius put his foot down and tried to make as much time as he could for his young granddaughter. He always told her to "never lose her smile". The two were very close and the young Claudia earnestly strived to be become a person who could aid her grandfather. That was when her grandfather fell ill. He had lived a long life, longer then most due to the Mark of the Emperor, Healing Magic and medicine were only capable of staving off the inevitable. Claudia witnessed more and more of her grandfathers responsibilities being passed onto the Senate until it became almost certain that they were intending to take all of the power from the Emperor. Gaius himself did not mind, he though that as long as those in power treated all the citizens of Summus as their own family, rather then as mere subjects, the country and its people would prosper. But Claudia believed that her grandfathers wishes could not be passed onto the members of the Senate. She saw how they behaved while her grandfather was bedridden, she heard how they coldly they spoke of matters of state and the people while they thought no one of importance was listening. She did not wish for the country that her grandfather, her parents and she cared about so deeply to be passed on to men like that, men whose cold reasoning created a wall between them and the rest of the people. If it did, then something vital to what made Summus what it was would be lost. So she worked, so she persevered. Some people humored her, believing her effort to be a child's whimsy and that she would soon become aware of her own limits. Her small arms could not wield a sword and she shown no talent for scholarly pursuits. Her efforts were, as some judged them, futile. The child was aware of her limits more then anyone else, she saw her grandfater as a star and all her efforts only served to make it more clear just how far she was from him. Claudia ran out of time. Her beloved grandfather had passed from the mortal coil and returned to the Cycle of Souls and it seemed hopes and wishes seemed forever out of her reach. But even in that moment some part of her, a part so deep within her that even she herself did not know what gave it strength, still refused to give up. She truly wished to carry on her grandfathers wishes - to fulfill her wish. She wanted for the people of Summus to never lose their smiles. It was then she heard Their Voices. Over a dozen voices all speaking in perfect unison, filled with warmth and comfort, reached out to her. They asked her why she still struggled. They asked her what drove her, one so young, to simply not trust others with such a heavy responsibility. After she responded to them they asked her one final question: ''"Do you have the resolve to bare the weight of such a life, the life of one who bares weight of all the lives in this land?"' Claudia, eleven years old at the time, waked out of the Imperial Mausoleum and made her way to to the palace. She cut off the representative of the Senate just as he was about to declare the Senate claiming full authority over Summus and stepped onto the podium. She raised her hand high into the sky, and it beamed with the golden light of the Mark of the Emperor, proclaiming loudly that by the will of The Light and by the name of her grandfather she is now '''Aurelia '''Claudia Exima and that she would devote herself to her family - all of the people of Summus. They say that, on that day, she shined like sun itself. Conflict with the Senate Needless to say, she has been butting heads with the Senate ever since. After carefully going trough old records she came to the conclusion that the Senate has been, for several generations, systematically lowering the Emperors power and political influence in the country. Seemingly hoping to get rid of the position altogether. Thought she could not pin down their exact motivation. Some seemed to hope to create a more modern and efficient government that would benefit the country in the long term, others wanted to elevate themselves to higher positions of power for "less then noble" reasons. Whatever their motivations however, their desires clashed with Aurelia's vision for the country. Aware that she could not match men and women who have been in power for decades only shortly after being ordained as the Empress, Aurelia focused on making the general populace her ally (rather then directing her attention on the nobles who were already deeply rooted in existing factions). She did her best to not only preform all her duties, but also to preform all of them splendidly. To awe and inspire with her actions and words whenever possible (making public appearances and speeches, as well as joining in public events in order to bolster morale of her people and troops). She also aided in the reopening and, later, creation of several ateliers and theaters that had been closed due to the war effort. She hoped to lift the spirits of her people, aware that they could not let their art and culture stagnate, and make sure that Summus can become a place that is capable of creating and protecting smiles even in troubled times. As the result of her actions, she is immensely popular with the common folk of Summus, but has only few allies among the nobles (most of her allies being people who backed her grandfather during his regime). Category:NPC Category:Good Category:Emperors Category:Summus Empire